Chapter Twenty-Seven

On Monday, both Rebecca and Laura have to leave, and Nelson has to go back to work. After seeing his daughters off, thankfully with loving and happy goodbyes, he's able to get through a relatively normal day at the police station. Judy and Tanya—much to Judy's chagrin—are working on a drugs case and Cloughie is working on a recent string of robberies. So far, nothing much that needs Nelson's direct involvement. He's able to go home at a reasonable time and cook himself some supper and call Ruth.

He tells her about what he'd discussed with Michelle, the details of the divorce and so on. He also tells her that he spoke to his divorce lawyer on the phone that morning and it seems Michelle signed the petition and her lawyer is mailing it to him to sign and send back for filing. Things are progressing very nicely on that front.

Ruth in turn tells him about her day with Kate. They went to the market and apparently shopping with Kate is always a bit of an adventure. She likes to explore and ask questions and her youthful energy makes getting anything done efficiently quite challenging for Ruth. Nelson listens and sympathizes and hopes to himself that one day he can be around to help with things like that. Might be fun, actually. Doing the shopping for Ruth so she can stay home with Katie. Or staying with their daughter while she does the shopping. Or the three of them could go together and Nelson can keep Katie occupied while Ruth does what needs doing. What a nice thought.

"We still on for tomorrow?" he asks after she's finished telling him about her day.

"Yes."

Her voice sounds a bit odd, so he asks, "Anything wrong?"

"No, not wrong, just…"

"Just what?"

Ruth pauses on the line as she considers her words. "Are you really planning on doing…things?"

"Are you still worried about my winning that stupid bet? Ruth, I want it to be fun for us both, and it won't be if you're upset like this," he grumbles. And it's the truth. He's frustrated by her reticence and the idea that she wouldn't trust him at this point.

"I just don't like not knowing!" she insists angrily.

"You haven't known exactly what we've been doing before, have you? Do you usually have sex with a program laid out for you?" he asks sarcastically.

"No, but I don't normally know that you've got plans in mind that I don't know about!" she fires back.

"Jesus wept, Ruth, do you need me to tell you?" he snaps.

She pauses for a fraction of a second. "Actually, I think I'd like that."

He's taken aback. He'd not expected her to say that. He'd also not expected to have to say his plans out loud to her.

"If you don't want to, you don't have to. I'm sorry, that was a stupid thing for me to say," she says hurriedly, backtracking.

"No, if it'll help you feel better, I'll tell you," he replies quickly.

"If you don't mind…" Ruth cannot believe what she's saying. She cannot believe she's actually asking Nelson to describe what he wants to do to her…sexually. This must be the most un-English thing they've ever done. Certainly one of the most un-Catholic things he's ever done, she imagines. The both of them are repressed, to be sure, her as an academic with Born Again nutters for parents and him with his strict Catholic upbringing that he's not grown out of as much as he might otherwise think. Sex is something they've certainly enjoyed over the years and especially together, but it's not something they ever talk about!

"I'm going to make you come three times," he growls.

"Oh!" she exclaims. Goodness, he's certainly gone right in for that.

"Too much?" he asks nervously.

"If we can manage it, that would be incredible," she quips.

He chuckles. "I mean, is that too much for me to say?"

"I…erm…" Ruth feels her face growing warm. They really are not built like this. But when he'd said…what he'd said…she had felt a powerful flash of arousal. "No, not too much to say. I sort of liked it."

"Then I'll also tell you that I want to go down on you again like I did that night after we went to the beach. I loved that, getting to taste you and feel you against my mouth."

Ruth whimpers quietly into the phone. Arousal pools between her legs as she recalls vividly what he'd done to her then and how it might be tomorrow night when he's back in her bed once again.

Nelson continues, "And then after I want you on top of me."

"What?" she squeaks, appalled at making that sound but too startled by the notion to care.

"What's wrong?" he asks worriedly.

Ruth's mind is spinning. What's wrong? What isn't wrong!? The entire notion of climbing on top of him when she's naked, being bared to him, being watched like that…it's almost too much to think of. "Why would you want that?" she asks, hoping to turn it onto him so she doesn't have to answer that question.

"I want to see you and feel you when I'm inside of you," he replies earnestly.

Oh damn him for that. Why does he want those things? Ruth hates that she's still a little turned on in spite of her insecure anxiety, that the thought of him inside of her is almost enough to make her concerns go away. "But why?" she asks.

"Why what?" He's confused and sounds like he's getting annoyed at her again.

Ruth huffs slightly, steeling herself. "Why would you want to see me like that?"

"Oh."

"Oh?"

"Well I…I think you're beautiful. And I l…"

"You what?" she presses, despite the way her heart is pounding in her chest. She thinks she knows what he'd been about to say and she does not know if she wants him to say it or not.

"I like to see you during sex and watch you when you're enjoying it. And if it really does bother you and you don't enjoy it, we don't have to do that. But I'd like to at least try. Since I did succeed in getting Kate to eat salad," he says, ending his earnestness with a bit of teasing.

Well, she can't very well oppose that, can she? "Alright. But I am warning you that the idea of seeing me and the actual reality of it will probably put you off me altogether."

"I doubt it, but just in case, I'm sure you can change my mind back."

"How?" she asks curiously.

"Well, last week I learned you've got a gorgeous and very talented mouth."

She emits a slightly embarrassed giggle. "Oh do I?"

"Yes," he confirms. "Talented at lecturing about carbon dating and talented at kissing and very talented at sucking me off."

Ruth feels herself melting into the sofa, almost overcome by arousal. "Jesus," she breathes.

"Too much?"

"No, I didn't realize what a turn on it would be to hear you say things like that," she explains.

"That's good to know," he replies. She can hear the smile in his voice.